1100s–1200s
Stoneware with slip decoration, Cizhou ware
Overall: 19.7 x 9.5 cm (7 3/4 x 3 3/4 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1957.56
This hollow stoneware figure of a woman has firing hole visible at the bottom.
The Cizhou ware kilns never produced for the imperial court, but made potted utensils needed in daily life. They also fired ceramic figurines, which are believed to have been used as toys.
The maid or palace lady here holds a long-necked vase of a type that watered flowers. The figurine, perhaps made as a toy for a girl, was molded in clay and covered with a white slip and transparent glaze, over which some colors in red, green, and ocher were applied. Cizhou kiln potters were one of the first in China who applied overglaze enamel-like colors on glazed, high-fired ceramics.
The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@clevelandart.org.
To request more information about this object, study images, or bibliography, contact the Ingalls Library Reference Desk.
All images and data available through Open Access can be downloaded for free. For images not available through Open Access, a detail image, or any image with a color bar, request a digital file from Image Services.